Trouble-hunter



D. C. LAMB.

TROUBLE HUNTER.

APPLICATIQN'HLED JAN. 7. 1920.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921:.

2 SHEETSV-SHEET l.

Juve/who@ A jamdflam D. C. LAMB.

TROUBLE HUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7, 1920.

Patented Apr. 12

1921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. I 3mm/nto@ Zmflam DAVID C. LAMB, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TROUBLE-HUN TER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application led January 7, 1920. Serial No. 349,923.

To all whom' it may Concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID C. LAMB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and btate of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trouble-Hunters,

of which the following is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to portable lights of the kind that are fastened atthe end of a cord and can be moved from place to place. lVhen connectedto the generator of an automobile, they are called trouble hunters ortrouble finders, and my invention relates more particularly to this kindof a device.

As in my previous Patent No. 1,319,012, October 14, 1919, the wires fromthe battery or other source of ower or generator are led to a springdriven take-up from which a wire may be led to a lamp holder and lamp.

In my present invention the lamp holder is mounted in a socket piecefrom which it may be plucked or drawn and the light turned on in oneswift motion. While I am describing this, in general, as a dash light,to be used on any car, with the light placed on the engine side, underthe hood, and the coil, or take-up placed on back of dash betweeninstrument board and dash, it may be placed in any other suitablelocation. One of the important uses for this device is in a tonneaulzoserve as an inspection or trouble light for touring cars and limousines,the light beingplaced in the back of the front seat, and the coil ortakeup placedat any convenient place under the seat, or in back of thefront seat; same can be used either with or without the cover, as shownon the drawing, especially where there is a pocket provided for coil.

The lamp thus located serves the double purpose of an emergency light ortrouble hunter. Ilsually such a light is needed, if needed at all, atonce and should be convenient to the hand of the driver, should beinstantly accessible and portable to any part of the car or itsimmediate vicinity. I have secured all of these advantages by my novelconstruction and arrangement herein presented and claimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side view of my device in place with theprotecting hood partly cut away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View showing the interior of my socketpiece and lamp holder;

Fig. 3 is' a top view, the protecting hood being cut away;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective on a similar scale showing how my lamp holdermay be withdrawn from the socket, and

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fi 1.

In the drawing the numeral 1 represents any section of the dash of anautomobile of the usual type though it is obvious that I may place mydevice at any desired spot in .an automobile, or, for that matter, atany desired spot anywhere. In this dash I provide a socket opening 2 inwhich I mount a flanged socket piece 3 provided with a rearwardextension and generally of a shape and dimension suitable to hold mylamp. In this socket piece 3 I place a lamp mount or holder 4. Thismount or holder 4 consists of a hollow shaft or spool 6 of insulatingmaterial adapted to turn in the socket piece, and provided at its rearend with a perforated cap 7 secured thereto by screws 8. Seated in thiscap is a disk 9 adapted to move with the cap and shaft or spool andpreferably clamped between them. This disk is provided withterminals 10for the wires which are led in through the perforation 11 in thecap. Theends of said terminals 10 are bent outward at 12 to form parts orVmembers of contact switches.

Mounted to move freely in the said spool is a core or rod 13 ofinsulating material. I provide a pair of conducting parts 14 at the rearto contact with the parts 12. Since the core and spool are free to turnwith reference to each other. the switch may be readily opened or closedby turning one part 13 or 16, on the other. I lead the switch member 12through the core to connect at the forward end with contact points forthe lamp 15, so that when the circuit is closed through the Switch 12,14 current may be sent through the lamp.

I provide on the core a pin 16 which eX- tends through a slot 17 in thespool or hollow shaft and is conducted through the ring 18, adapted toturn in a groove in the outer face of the spool '6. The ring thus turnswith the pin and core and at-the same time closes or conceals the slot17. At the forward end of the spool I mount a reflector 19 of which thepart 20, which engages the spool, is fitted into a rabbet on the end ofthe spool soV as to come flush with the surface of the spool. I thusmake the spool of uniform size from end to end save for the pin 16. Thespool is of the exact size adapting it'to fit snugly in the socket piece3. The socket piece 3 has aybowlshaped forward part 21 adapting it tothe shape of the reflector. The rearward extension 22 is provided with aslot 23 extending .forward into the bowl-shaped part.

This slot is wide enough to accommodate the pin 16 and` extends back asfar as the pin, when the core and spool are in proper conjunction.

I provide a spring tongue 24 preferably cut out of the material of thesocket piece when the slot is made, and in said spring tongue I providea depression 25 adapting the tongue to engage the pin and resistwithdrawal of the spool from the socket piece. The forward end of thetongue is outturned a little to permit the pin to slip under the-tongue.The socket piece is suitably secured in position by screws 3 orequivalent means. The spool may be turned in the socket piece by takinghold of the outer edge of the reflector. The pin 17 is kept from turningby engagement with the sides of the slot and keeps the corev piece fromturning. The relation of the switch parts 12, 14 will be affected toopen or close the circuit through the lamp. The spring tongue 24 permitsthe ready insertion of the lamp holder into the socket and its easywithdrawal at the same time it keeps it from rattle and accidentaldisplacement.

The wires are led back through the cap to a `winding drum 26, providedwith spring 27 and contacts 28, 29 after the manner of the drumdescribed and claimed in my former Patent 1,319,012 aforesaid.Conductors lead from the latter to a generator or cell not shown. Thewinding drum is mounted on a base plate 30 to Which the base 31 of thespring drum may be attached. v

Said base plate has suitable bolt holes for attaching bolts or screws 3to secure it in position.

In setting up my device, say in the dash board 1 of an automobile, Imake an opening suitable to receive the bowl-shaped part 21 of theflanged socket piece 3. Through holes in the flange I pass bolts 3 asshown in Fig. 1. On the other or hood side of the dash, I mount my baseplate 28 passing bolts 30 through suitable holes cut in the dash andsecure the parts in place, and may, if I wish, put on the cover 32 whichfits over the parts and is held in position by a bolt 33 secured to thedrum casing. I now remove the cap from my lamp holder, and leading thewires from the drum through the perforation in thc ca and through thesocket I attach them to tile switch parts 12 and secure the cap back inposition on the lamp holder. The drum in the meantime has been connectedup to the nerator placed perhaps under the hood. I now the lamp holderbe thrust into the socket in the socket piece and the rim of thereflector turned to make a circuit closed through the lamp, the latterwill glow, illuminating the front of the car. If desired the lamp holdermay be plucked from the socket and carried anywhere within the length ofthe cord for examining any part of the engine or car, looking at roadsigns, searching for lost articles, or doing any of the things for whichlight may be needed in dark places. While the holder is out of thesocket, the light may be turned off or on at any time by turning pin 16by the thumb or finger, and after insertion in the socket piece, lightmay be turned off or on at will by simply grasping and turning the rimof the reflector or the part to which the reflector is fastened.

It will be seen that I have thus devised a lamp which may be used as theusual tonneau light to enable persons readily to enter and leave thevehicle, to examine the speedometer, see the clock or inspect any of thegages usually formed on a dashboard. A touch of the fingers turns itoff. If trouble arises anywhere, I pluck the lamp from its socket andcarry it wherever I please, turning it on or off at will. My' lamp,therefore, is capable of being used as a car light and also as a troublehunter. The lamp, in case of accident, or other sudden need, may beplucked from the socket and turned on, if not already, by a single swiftmovement of the hand and thumb. Being normally in one place, the driverknows instantly where to find it, light or dark, and his movement issure.

Within the scope of my invention I reserve the right to all equivalents,within the purpose and meaning of the law.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto'secure rotection for by Letters Patent of the nited States, is:

1. In a trouble hunter, in combination, a lamp, a holder for said lamp,a slotted socket piece adapted to be fixed in position and having asocket adapted to said holder,

a core within said holder, a switch, a part of said switch being on saidcore and a part on said holder, said core being rotatable in saidholder, and a pin extending from said core, through said socket pieceand engaging the slot thereof whereby 1t is held from rotating.

2. In a trouble hunter, in combination, a lamp, a holder for said lamp,a slotted socket adapted to be secured to a lixed part and adapted toreceive said holder by endwise thrust, a pin on said holder and a springtongue on said socket piece over said slot, said pin engaging said slotand tongue whereby the lamp holder is held from rattle and accidentaldisplacement but may easily be plucked loose.

3. In a trouble hunter in combination, a rearwardly extending socketpiece for mounting in a dash, a lamp holder adapted to be thrust intosaid socket piece, means for releasably retaining said lamp holder inposition, a lamp in said holder, means in said holder for switching onand off the light at will, a wire leading to said holder, a spring drumfor said wire and means connecting said drum with a generator.

4. In a combined dash light and trouble hunter in combination, a dashsocket piece adapted to be inserted in the front ofv a dash and toextend to the rear thereof, a lamp holder adapted to be thrust into thesocket of said socket piece, a lamp for said holder, wires connectedwith said holder leading to a generator and means connected with theholder and socket piece, whereby the holder may be releasably held insaid socket and the lamp turned on or off at will.

5. In a trouble hunter and dash lamp in combination, a anged socketpiece adapted to be inserted in the dash and to extend beyond the rearthereof, a lamp holder adapted to be thrust into the socket piece, alamp, a switch for said lamp in said holder, a switch actuating meansextending from the switch to the socket piece and means on said socketpiece whereby said switch may be actuated to turn the light on and off.

6. In a trouble hunter and dash lamp in combination, a flanged socketpiece adapted to be inserted in the dash, a lamp holder adapted to bethrust into the socket piece a lamp, a central core for said holder sailamp being mounted on said core, contacting means on said holder andcore for'turning on and off the lamp and means extending from said coreto said -socket piece whereby said core may be held from turning whilethe holder is turned.

7. In a trouble hunter and dash` lamp in combination, a flan ed'socketpiece ada ted to be inserted in t e dash, a lamp holder adapted to t thesocket piece, a lamp, a

lamp carrying part in said holder said lamp being mounted on said part,said part and said holder being movable with relation to each other andmeans connected with said socket piece and one of said relativelymovable parts whereby it may be held while the other of said mov'ableparts is moved with relation thereto.

8. In a device capable of double function as a iixed light and a troublehunter, in combination, a socket piece having a yielding detainingdevice, and a lamp holder having means engaging said detaining device,said means also functioning to operate alamp switch to turn the saidlamp on or o 9. In a device capable of double function as a fixed lightand a trouble hunter, in combination, a socket piece having a yieldingdetaining device, a lamp holder having means engaging said detainingdevice, said means also functioning to operate a lamp switch, and meansconnected with said socket piece and switch whereby the socket piece maybe made to coperate in the actuation of the switch.

l0. In a device capable of being used as a dash light and as anautomobile trouble hunter, in combination, a dash socket piece,

4a lampholder adapted to be thrust into said socket piece, alamp-holding plug or core 'rotatable in said holder, switch parts onsaid core and holder, there being a longitudinally extending slot insaid holder, a pin extending through said slot from said core, Wherebysaid core may be turned or held and means connected with said socketpiece and engaging said pin whereby the core and lamp may be held by thesocket piece and the holder may be turned to turn the lamp on or 0E atwill.

11. In a trouble finding automobile lamp in combination, with a sourceof electric power, Wires leading therefrom, a spring drum for saidwires, a socket piece to which said wires lead, a lamp holder, adaptedto be thrust into and held in said socket piece,

a lamp in said holder connected up to said v

